


Chasing Perfection

by bluesaturn



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Secret Santa, Vacation, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28956348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesaturn/pseuds/bluesaturn
Summary: After a stressful time at work, all Hank wants to do is go on a vacation with Connor and ask him, if he wants to spend the rest of his life with him. But not everything goes according to plan.
Relationships: Hank Anderson & Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson/Connor, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed (Background)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	Chasing Perfection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reed_Between_the_Nines](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reed_Between_the_Nines/gifts).



> This work is part of a Secret Santa Exchange I did with some of my friends. :) 
> 
> So Texy, this one is for you!  
> I had a lot of fun writing for you and I really hope you enjoy it. I love you so much, my friend. <3

Hank was really fucking tired. In fact, if it weren't for the copious amount of coffee he'd been sipping throughout the day, he was sure he would have long fallen asleep on his desk.

Connor didn't look as if he was doing any better at all, his battery running so low that Hank had insisted he fucking needed to sleep or do that weird robot equivalent thing of it, that he did, but Connor, of fucking course, hadn't listened to him, instead rather choosing to stay up all night to work once more on their case. 

Not that Hank had gotten much sleep either, for weeks now, both of them trying frantically to finally close the case and finally getting to relax again, without much luck this far. Hank was starting to wonder how much longer either of them could do this for, without completely breaking down. He could tell Connor was running dry too, they ended up snapping at each other more often and they'd barely had had any time for just the two of them in weeks, if not months now. 

Hank tried to focus his eyes on the monitor before him, even though it was all starting to look a tiny bit blurry and trying to find some new kind of clue, that the entire precinct had somehow overlooked so far, just in hopes to finally get this done and over with. 

Fuck, he couldn't wait to get out of the office for some time and maybe finally travel a bit, like he'd promised Connor they'd do someday, or perhaps even just spend an entire week in bed, without having to do anything at all.

"Got it," Reed shouted from across the bullpen, and Hank looked up from his monitor, almost thankful.  
Less tired Hank would have probably been annoyed at Gavin of all people cracking the case, even if they'd managed to form something he'd reluctantly call a friendship in the last couple months, thanks to Connor’s and Nines' help, but right now, Hank honestly didn't give a fuck about credit, as long as he finally could get home and catch some sleep. 

It, of course, didn't turn out to be so easy and involved staying in the office and the field way past midnight still for more days than Hank cared for, but in the end, they cracked the case wide open and arrested a bunch of people. Nothing felt more satisfying to Hank than finally getting to slap a pair of handcuffs on the people that had been making his life a living nightmare for the last weeks. He slapped Gavin on the shoulder, with a smile and a "good job", and then pulled Connor into a hug, not even caring if anyone was staring at them.

"I think we should take off work," Hank said, at 8 am on a Monday morning, right after they had gotten a long weekend off.  
Connor looked up from his monitor to look at him. He didn't look quite as, well, _dead_ anymore as he had the week before and at least his shirt was on the right way around, but based on the fact, that it had taken him three tries to even get Connor to pay attention to him, Hank was fairly certain he could detect that Connor was still not doing too hot either.  
"We just had the weekend off?", Connor asked, visibly confused.  
Hank leaned back in his chair and took a sip of the shitty office coffee. He couldn't even be bothered to pretend he was working today.  
"I meant longer. Like a vacation or something," Hank explained.  
Connor's LED spun yellowed, as he processed that suggestion.  
"I'm uncertain Captain Fowler will approve of that currently -", Connor's first words were and Hank rolled his eyes.  
"We've both been working way too much lately and have amounted a shit ton of overtime, if Jeffrey can't fucking realize we both need a break, he can fucking suck my dick," Hank grumbled.  
He could tell Connor was annoyed by his choice of words, but not necessarily disagreeing with the premise.  
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask," he eventually said, after another moment of consideration.

He turned to turn back to his work, but then seemed to think the better of it.  
"…what would we even do? I've never had a proper vacation before," Connor said, once again reminding Hank that he was both a shitty partner and that they should have done this a really long time ago.  
Connor had always been curious about traveling the world, and getting to see new places and countries, but it had been hard in the beginning, after the whole Android Revolution thing, to find places that were welcome and accepting of them, so they had to put it a bit on the backburner. 

Even now, not every place in the world let people like Connor in with open arms, which Hank thought was a bunch of horseshit, but he couldn't really change anything about it. Sadly he knew all too well, how long it could take for these kinds of things to change. And if anything, he could only make sure that he was there for Connor through all of it.

"I was thinking we'd go somewhere with like beaches and stuff and just relax?", Hank suggested, knowing full well Connor wasn't usually too easily persuaded of that, but hoping he'd make an exception in this case, simply because they both desperately needed it.  
Connor seemed to contemplate this for a moment longer, his LED spinning yellow, no doubt already researching where they should go.  
"Costa Rica?", Connor eventually suggested, when Hank was half dozing off already when instead he should have been doing paperwork (or well, still computer work, these days.)  
Connor created a holographic display on his hand, then offered it so Hank could see it.  
"Fuck, that's beautiful," he said, at the images, Connor was showing to him.  
"It's been on my list for a while, but it sadly wasn't possible to travel there for the longest time," Connor answered.  
Hank raised an eyebrow.  
"You have a list?", he asked surprised and Connor smiled at him shily.  
"A short one. I was hoping to add to it someday."  
Hank smiled back at him.  
"Yeah, you're right. We really fucking gotta get out of here a lot more often."  
Connor titled his head sideways.  
"As much as I sometimes need a break from… well, work, I do think I'm quite happy where I am."  
"As long as you're with me, Lieutenant, I think I can be happy anywhere," he said with a grin, and then the fucker had the audacity to wink at him. Fuck.  
Hank could feel a blush spreading over his face and did his best he could at hiding behind his computer.  
"For fucks sake, Connor, you gotta stop doing this to me at work," he grumbled, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling either.  
"And where would be the fun in that?", Connor asked, cheekily. Hank shook his head. That Android was gonna be the death of him one day.

Gavin threw a pen at him the very next moment.  
"Get a room you two," he snickered, but Hank couldn't even find it himself to get annoyed right now.  
He simply grinned into his coffee cup and couldn't wait till it was finally the end of their shift.

Hank was browsing through different websites, trying to figure out how to set up the perfect trip for them both. Technically a task he should perhaps rather have left to Connor and he was sure Connor was wondering why he hadn’t, but he'd let it slide after Hank had said that he simply wanted to surprise Connor and wanted him to relax for once. Which wasn't wrong, per se, but it also wasn't the whole truth.

Hank's mind was running in circles, the whole thing with Connor had happened so fast, and so naturally, neither of them had expected it, Hank thought, but it had been the most natural thing in the world to him, to take Connor into his home, in the aftermath of the revolution, to offer up his couch and a place to stay. 

They'd fallen in love in all the quiet moments in between, the small cracks of life, and when Connor had kissed him, it had felt like coming home, in the best of ways, like he'd been searching for it his whole life without even knowing or something. And now here Hank was, heart beating fast, nervous at the thought that this was Connor's first vacation and he had to make it perfect and nervous at the fact, that they just seemed to fall more and more in love with each and every passing day. Scared by the fact that these days, Hank even looked forward to waking up early on fucking Sunday mornings, because he knew it would be accompanied by breakfast in bed and Connor's beautiful smile. Fuck, he was in deep. 

And the worst part was, that he didn't even mind at all. The thought of a lifetime with Connor - the thought of getting to wake up to see that smile each and every morning - it was a thought that made his heart skip a beat.

So he had to make it perfect or whatever, he thought, as he kept scrolling through the listings. Part of him still doubted if it was a good idea, and he knew Connor wasn't usually the type for just lounging around and probably would appreciate something else more, perhaps it was the wrong… time for any of it, but Hank - he felt like he'd already waited a lifetime for this, in a way. Waited a lifetime to fall in love with somebody like Connor.

He sighed, kinda wishing he would have left the task of scrolling for hours on end to Connor after all. Hank's eyes darted to the message that had suddenly appeared on his phone. Gavin fucking Reed, of all people, texting him. He was relieved when he saw the message was at least _not_ about work. Leave it to Fowler to call them back for some fucking emergency or something, after all the overtime.

He sighed and then hit the call button on Reed.

"What did you do this time?", Hank asked in lieu of saying hello.

"What makes you think I did anything?", Gavin asked and Hank rolled his eyes.

"You only ever text me when you pissed off Nines _again_ , so what is it this time?"

"Did somebody piss in your cereal this morning or something? Thought you'd be all relaxed and chill now, that you're about to get two weeks of vacation," Gavin said and Hank wondered not for the first time how Gavin always managed to make him get a headache within minutes of talking to him.  
It really was its own special talent.

"I'm just stressed trying to plan all of this out," Hank explained.

"Still don't understand why you didn't just let Mr. Robocop do it for ya," Gavin said and Hank hesitated for a moment.  
He didn't exactly have family or many other friends he could break the news too, and as much as Gavin annoyed him sometimes, he was probably the closest person he had, aside from Connor. And perhaps he just needed someone to push him a bit, to tell him he was doing the right thing.

"Uh, I'm gonna propose to Connor, I think," he eventually said.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, before he heard Gavin shout across the room.

"Hey Nines, you owe me five dollars!"

"Seriously, you bet on that?", Hank grumbled.

"Well, actually we bet on how fast it was gonna happen. Just don't make me wear a tux to the wedding," Gavin said and Hank sighed.

"Actually I'm - what if I'm rushing into this?", he asked and he swore he could _hear_ Gavin sneer at him.

"You've been glued to each other's side from the beginning now, I highly doubt robo-man's gonna say no," he answered.

"You're only saying that cause you wanna win that bet, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Gavin laughed. "But the small not-asshole part of me also just wants you to be happy," he added.

"You have a not-asshole part?"

"Yeah, but don't you ever dare tell anyone about it," Gavin warned and Hank couldn't help but laugh.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Reed."

"Ooops, gotta run. Just ask the robocop, old man," Gavin said and hung up.

Hank kept staring at the phone, a long time after he had finished the phone call with Gavin, still lost in thought. He wasn't quite sure what kind of reaction he had expected but making a game out of his love life actually seemed on par for those two idiots. 

He felt a little bit better than before they had talked about it, but part of him still couldn't help but wonder, if he and Connor were really ready for this. Sometimes it seemed to him, like barely any time had passed at all since the revolution, and yet - he couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone but Connor, and in his better moments, Hank knew Connor felt quite the same. Hell, it hadn't even been too long since marriage between Androids and humans was legalized and Hank still had to roll his eyes when he thought back on the debates, like he hadn't heard all the same stupid arguments back then when it came to gay marriage as well. Sometimes Hank wondered if humanity would ever change at all. 

But at least Connor had given him hope again, in the fact that maybe, a better world could be possible. He sighed. He wanted to be with Connor, and he wanted them to spend the rest of their lives together, it was as simple as that. And perhaps if nothing else Connor had also taught him how to have courage in the things he wanted again - so the least he could do was ask, he decided.

It turned out, it was a lot of work to organize a proposal, and far more planning went into it than Hank cared for. He'd usually leave those kinds of tasks to Connor, but since that wasn't really an option, he just had to make due. From getting the right place to stay, to hiring a photographer, to finding the right location - Hank could have sworn he spent more time staring at his phone than he actually got to spend with Connor. 

He couldn't fucking wait for them to finally make it to Costa Rica and just get to fucking relax, hopefully, after he had gotten to ask Connor. They both really fucking could use a break, Hank thought, sighing, as he finally got to check off another thing on his to-do-list. (He actually had to fucking write a goddamn list.) Hank really couldn't have been more thankful, when he finally was done with all the planning and thinking and all he had to do, was to wait for their vacation time to come.

Hank breathed a sigh of relief, once they fucking finally boarded the plane. It had been for fucking ever, since he had last gone on a vacation himself, and he almost had forgotten how fucking stressful it was, until you actually managed to get _there_ \- but at least Connor's curiousness about all the new experiences, had made standing in lines for ages a bit more bearable - Connor made everything more bearable, really, simply by being there with him. 

Hank had never thought he'd ever end up feeling this way about somebody, but Connor had woven his way into his heart, without him even noticing at first, and now he couldn't even quite imagine what his life would look like, if Connor hadn't stepped into it and turned his whole world upside-down. He usually didn't like to imagine it either - all he knew was, that he couldn't be more thankful for him, and he certainly couldn't be more in love. 

He felt so fucking nervous, he was almost nauseous - but gosh, he still couldn't wait to ask Connor - the thought of getting to call him his husband someday filled him with more excitement than he knew what to do with.

"Are you okay, Hank?", Connor asked, probably because Hank had been staring out the window of the plane for the good part of the last hour, completely lost in thought.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he replied a little gruff, but then grabbed for Connor's hand - he'd never been one much for PDA, but he enjoyed being close to Connor - it made him feel reassured.

"You excited?", Hank asked, with a slight smile on his face.

"Yes. I'm interested to see if it looks anything like the pictures online," Connor said, looking curiously. "Also I'm interested to find out what hotel you picked since you seemed so set on picking one yourself," Connor said and Hank grinned.

"You'll find out soon enough," he promised and then turned towards the small screen on the backside of the seat.

"Wanna pick a movie to watch?", he asked, and shortly later, they were both staring at the small display. Connor had leaned his head on Hank's shoulder, and Hank didn't even mind.

It all started to go to hell, in Costa Rica, once they had made it to the beach. Hank had his eyes on the sky the entire time, the grey sky and clouds not looking particularly promising, but even then - he'd figured they'd both survive a little bit of rain. What he hadn't expected was for them to get hit by a storm so badly, Hank wasn't sure it _didn't_ classify as a monsoon, and their clothes getting drenched within seconds. There was no way in hell he'd be able to do his proposal as he had planned it.

"Fucking shit fucking weather," Hank had cursed, once they finally got into dry land - a car - once more. One could barely see anything through the windshield and Hank was just glad the hotel was at least not too far away or he would have seriously worried about how they were gonna get "home".

"I'm inclined to agree," Connor said, with a slight smile.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, let's just get back into our rooms," Hank grumbled.

Connor reached out for his hand, but Hank pulled away.

"Hank, it's just a storm. We can go back tomorrow or later even, possibly," Connor said. He took a look outside. "Well, perhaps rather tomorrow."

Hank sighed.

"Fucking day just had to be ruined," he grumbled.

"It's not ruined, Hank," Connor said, trying to reach for his hand once more and Hank simply pulled away.

He saw the hurt look on Connor's face, but Hank simply couldn't help himself.  
They drove back to their hotel in silence.

They stepped into the hotel room, clothes completely drenched in the rainwater, and Connor had a look on his face, almost as sour, as Hank was feeling.

Connor sat down on the bed, not even bothering to change out of his clothes yet, and took a deep, unnecessary breath, something he only ever did when he felt tense about something and Hank had a feeling this day would not end at all how he had planned it and he could feel his stomach turning around.

"Hank - what was that about?", Connor asked calmly, but clearly trying to hold back how he was actually feeling about the whole thing.

Of course, it was easy to be calm for Connor, he wasn't the one who's entire day and plan had been completely ruined by the fucking weather of all things and now Hank had no idea what to do about it, because unlike Connor he was fucking terrible at these kinda things, and so he of fucking course didn't have a goddamn backup plan. 

Part of him couldn't help but wonder, if perhaps this was a sign, if perhaps he wasn't meant to ask Connor and the universe or whatever had to stop him before he even got the chance - not that he generally believed in such things. It just was his fucking shit luck, probably. But Hank had hoped, for once in his life, shit would just go right, and now he felt bitter once more.

"It's just rain, there was no reason to get so upset," Connor said, barely swallowing down his apparent anger and Hank hated that - he didn't want to be fighting with Connor, today, or ever, really, but still, Hank couldn't quite keep himself from grumbling at Connor's statement.  
"Yeah, and it's totally not ruining our day or anything," Hank mumbled.

"Actually, I would say, the only one ruining our day is you," Connor said and Hank stared at him speechless for a moment.  
That was perhaps one of the meanest things Connor had ever said to him, he usually didn't ever snap at Hank for any reason, and he felt a bit lost, on what to do.

"Connor -," Hank tried to explain himself but Connor shook his head.

"I don't think I can be here right now," Connor said, and fled out of the room, leaving a bewildered Hank behind.

Hank kept on sitting there, long after Connor had run out of the room, lost in thought. He was a fucking idiot - he knew he could behave like one some days, but… fuck, he and Connor had never had a fight quite as bad about something as small as that. 

Connor probably still felt stressed and worn out from their work, all the overtime they had to pour in for that case, and Hank wondered once more if this had been terrible timing or if it simply hadn't been meant to be. Part of him wanted to run after Connor, but another part of him also couldn't get himself to do so. Maybe Connor simply really wanted to be alone, and cool off for a moment. Maybe Hank also wasn't quite ready yet, for Connor to see him cry.

Hank sighed, wiped at his eyes, and then decided he fucking needed help, so he picked up his phone and hit the call button on Gavin Reed.

"I fucked up," Hank said, as soon as Gavin picked up the phone.

"Well, usually that's my line," Gavin said and Hank rolled his eyes. Of course, leave it to Reed to make fun of his misery.

"Can you not be an asshole, for like, 5 minutes?", Hank asked, almost pleading with Gavin.

"What happened?", Gavin asked and Hank couldn't stop himself from letting the words just stumble out.  
How he'd been so stressed about planning out the proposal. How he'd somehow not thought about having a goddamn backup plan. How he'd been a terrible partner and unable to consider Connor's feelings. How he'd been caught off guard by the fucking storm and his proposal was ruined. How he and Connor fought and now Hank wasn't sure what to do. Once he finally finished talking his heart out, Gavin sighed on the other end of the line.

"Anderson, you're a goddamn idiot," he said, charming as ever.

"Thanks, I already knew that," he grumbled in response.

"Just run after the robo-man already," Gavin answered, completely ignoring him.

"What if he doesn't wanna see me?"

"It was one stupid fight because you're both stressed or whatever. I swear, I fucking dread getting paired with Connor these days cause all he ever fucking talks about is you. Just ask the robo-man already,"

"But -", Hank wanted to insist, though the thought of Connor talking about him… even now, it made him smile.

"Are you scared, old man?", Reed asked and Hank wondered not for the first time if it was perhaps scientifically possible to strangle someone through the telephone.

"You're an ass, Reed," Hank said.

"You're welcome," Reed answered and hung up with a click.

Hank finally got himself to get up, and leave their hotel room - he had no idea _where_ Connor went, but part of him found it quite doubtful even Connor would have gone back outside, in this shitty weather. 

In the end, it turned to be easier to find him than Hank had expected - there was a small bar, on the ground floor, and Connor had taken a seat at it, despite the fact he couldn't have a drink. 

He looked quite miserable, still dressed in his completely drenched clothes, and Hank really hoped they'd manage to fix his fuck-up here. This felt so far from how he imagined his proposal to go, he was sure the universe had to be fucking laughing at him.

"Connor," he said and Connor turned around to look at him.

"I'm sorry," he tried. "Please let me explain."

Connor looked as if he wanted to argue more for another minute but then thought the better of it.

"Please do," he sighed, exhausted, but at least he didn't seem totally mad at Hank anymore.

"I've been really stressed - and I know you've been too - but I just wanted today to go perfectly, and then the fucking weather had to ruin everything and I'm -"

Connor sighed. "It's alright, Hank," he said but Hank shook his head.

"Please let me finish. There's a reason I wanted today to go perfectly, I've been planning this day for ages now and I just - Fuck, I love you so much, Connor, and I just wanted to show you that, even though I suck at that shit, but it's what you deserve and I - fuck, I know I'm rambling, so I'm just gonna say it," Hank said, and dropped down onto one knee.

He fumbled for the ring box in his jacket pocket.

"Connor - I just - I love waking up next to you, I love being with you, I love _you_ and I can't imagine not spending the rest of my life with you. So… will you marry me?", he asked.

Connor sighed once more.

"Hank Anderson, you're a fucking idiot," Connor said, but the words were said with a smile on his face.

A moment later, Connor got up, and dropped down onto one knee as well, ring box in hand.

Hank couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," he said.

"So… is that a yes?"; Connor asked with a cheeky grin.

"Pretty sure I'm the only one who asked a question," Hank said and Connor rolled his eyes.

"Well - Hank Anderson, will you marry me?"

"Yes," he answered, and Connor got the most beaming smile on his face.

"I would love to marry you as well," Connor said, putting the ring onto Hank's finger and Hank did the same with him.

They fell into each other's arms, and kissed, for what felt like a lifetime to Hank.

"So…. are you still mad about that storm?", Connor asked and Hank simply grinned.

"What storm?", he asked and kissed Connor once more.

In the end, they both went back to their normal, regular lives. Vacations always ended too soon, in Hank's opinion, but he'd be forever thankful for the time he got to spend with Connor - thankfully the weather was more kind to them most days, and they spend a lot of days in nature for once.  
Hank couldn’t quite remember the last time he had felt so alive. Getting to see Connor smile so much, and seeing his happiness and getting to share it, at each new experience Connor got to have - it was worth a whole lot more than Hank would ever have been able to put into words.

Now that they were back at work, there were times they'd be swarmed with overtime again, and other times they'd be bored as hell - but that was just life, really. All Hank knew was, that he loved Connor and Connor loved him, and that that was more than enough. 

He looked at Connor, who was sitting at the desk opposite him, completely focused on his work, not even noticing Hank's staring. His eyes wandered to the ring on Connor's finger and he smiled. This life and their relationship weren’t perfect, but right in that moment, when he thought about how it would feel to get to call Connor his _husband_ for the rest of his life - well, it felt pretty damn close.


End file.
